Five children taken to hospital after being given cannabis-laced sweets at school, police say

Child faces seven felony charges for possessing and distributing marijuana as students fall ill

Several children at a school in Florida overdosed on THC-laced gummies after a 12-year-old student handed them out in class, authorities said.

Polk County Sheriff's Office officials said the boy somehow acquired a package of gummies containing 100 mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main mind-altering ingredient in cannabis, and gave it to six other seventh-graders during gym class at Mulberry Middle School in the city of Mulberry on Thursday.

At least five of the students were transported to a hospital after experiencing stomach pain, dizziness and nausea, and Sheriff Grady Judd said one of them had “all but passed out”.

The child who handed out the gummies at school now faces seven felony charges for possessing and distributing marijuana.

Ten states and the District of Columbia have legalised the recreational use of marijuana for adults - but not in Florida, and never for children.

“We're fortunate in that the children are all going to make a great recovery; they're going to be all right,” Mr Judd told reporters during a news conference. “There's no long-term injury or illness here as we understand, but obviously we're concerned.

“We're concerned as to one, how did a 12-year-old ever come to be in possession of this drug? . . . And two, why did he offer it to these six kids?”

In Florida, medical marijuana is legal with a prescription; but the drug remains illegal in other forms.

Mr Judd, the sheriff, said the edibles that sickened the Mulberry Middle School students are sold online and come in a gummy brick that is supposed to be torn into 10 adult doses in states where the product is legal. Almost the entire package was divided among the six children, he said.

Authorities said at least five of the children consumed the gummies, and it is believed the sixth child did as well.

As The Washington Post has reported, edibles, or food products laced with cannabis extract, have become a popular way to sell marijuana and many are sold online, though interstate transport is illegal.

The boy who handed out the gummies in Florida told investigators at least two different stories about how he got them, but said he did not eat any, the sheriff said.

It is unclear whether he understood that the gummies contained THC; but authorities pointed out that ignorance is not a defence against a crime.

The boy will be charged with one count of possession of marijuana resin and six counts of distribution of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school - all felonies - as well as one misdemeanour count possession of paraphernalia, authorities said.

When asked whether the other six children could also face charges, Mr Judd said no, stating that “the other kids have eaten the evidence, so to speak.”

The sheriff said the other children will be dealt with by their parents and the school system.

Authorities said the 12-year-old's parents are cooperating and there is no indication they played a role in the incident. But, the sheriff said, the investigation is ongoing.

During the news conference on Thursday, Polk County Schools superintendent Jacqueline Byrd urged parents to monitor their children's activities online, including what they are buying, and to talk to their children about illegal drugs.

“We want to make sure that everyone is safe when they come to school each and every day,” the superintendent said.

The Washington Post